Elly’s cookies vs Millie’s cookies: the snack battle continues

“Can we go to Millie’s Cookies?” asked the boys, when we in the midst of school shoe shopping hell.

“Er, no,” I said. “They’re greasy, sugary and expensive.”

“But they’re soooo good” pleaded the boys.

“I’ll tell you what. When we get home I’ll bake some cookies, and you can have those.” Compromise agreed. I’ve been experimenting with reducing the amount of added sugar in my baking and using Sweet Freedom (a natural fruit syrup) instead. I know there are plenty of recipes out there that eliminate refined sugar entirely, but I haven’t gone that far yet. After all, pureed dates are just as full of carbs as sugar. But cutting down and having at least some of the sugar content with lower GI has to be a good thing for all of us.

The verdict on these cookies vs Millie’s Cookies? Honestly? Three of us prefer mine: less sickly and less fatty. The last vote?: “Mum, they’re pretty good, but can you get them a bit more gooey in the middle next time?”

Ingredients (makes 20):

85g caster sugar

175g self-raising flour

110g olive-oil spread

68g Sweet Freedom dark (or agave syrup)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

175g chocolate chips (mix of milk and white chocolate)

Method:

Beat together the olive-oil spread, caster sugar and Sweet Freedom until creamy

Beat in the egg and vanilla extract

Fold in the flour, and when all blended together, stir in the chocolate chips, making sure they’re well spread throughout the cookie dough